The Journey of Flynn
by DovahFlynn
Summary: Over 400 years after the death of Avatar Korra and the world was once again attacked by non-bending forces. The avatar that came after: Shibai, failed to protect the world and benders were hunted to near extinction. Now, a bender in this world has to try and find solitude in what remains of a shattered and faltered domain that will always be his enemy.
1. Chapter 1-The Fire Rises

_Not two years after I started my final mastery of the avatar state the world was plunged into war. A new non-bending group calling themselves the Authorities had been gathering support from different cities and towns from around the world, secretly moving their forces until they finally struck in the Fire Nation._

_I was twenty at the time, fresh out of my training and hungry for a true battle to test my ultimate power. How foolish I was._

_I stood by the Fire Lord watching over the new theatre of war that had opened. Nineteen warships had managed to smash through the Gates of Azulon, all under Authority command. How many soldiers each one housed we did not know, that was until the fronts of the ships opened._

_A sea of black seemed to flood out of the ships. At first the Fire Lord thought it was spirits, being the suspicious man he was, but it was soon realised that they were troopers of the main Authority Army after they started to attack our soldiers with weapons we did not see before._

_From the Journal of Avatar Shibai, 270 ASC..._

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

A hand smacked the alarm clock as it beeped at 7 O'clock. A small groan escaped a boy lying in bed, mummified by sheets and pillows. He swung his feet round and thumped them on the floor. As his sheets fell to the floor he held his face in his hands. Still groaning he slowly rose to his feet and ran his hands from his face through his brown hair before dropping them down to his sides again. Then in a sudden burst of realisation his eyes widened and a burst of energy ran through the once sleepy boy. It was his birthday today, but not just any birthday oh no, it was his sixteenth and this was not a day to be missed.

He almost sprinted for the shower, his feet thumping against the thin upstairs floor. "Flynn are you up?" His mother shouted from downstairs

"No mum, I'm a burglar robbing the house at seven in the morning, of course I'm up!" Flynn responded sarcastically as he usually did every morning. "I'm just gonna take a quick shower." As Flynn shut the door to bathroom he sighed. _This is the life_ He thought.

As Flynn got changed into his black shirt and blue jeans he stared out of his window to observe the late sunrise. The heat he could feel through the window was rejuvenating It was heaven and even thought the day had just started he wondered if it could get any better. He ran downstairs ready to see the surprise that awaited him in the living room. And he wasn't disappointed. On the coffee table lay a large but thin present and a stack of birthday cards. The sunlight from the window almost perfectly shone on the gifts like a picture frame of light.

As Flynn opened the present, maturely of course. He couldn't stop his reaction afterwards when the gift was finally revealed. "A laptop, awesome thanks!" _Finally!_ He thought.

More joy followed as he opened card after card, stacking the money from them as he went along. The stuff he could buy was unbelievable. Headsets, an iPod, he could go on. "You should really put that away before you lose it son." His father told him.

_Oh great, another life lesson_. "Why? It's not going anywhere. Besides I have to get to the doctors remember. Don't want to get sent to jail now do I?" He looked over at his dad who stood there with his finger up ready to say something but he was disarmed when Flynn smirked at him. He knew he had won the soon to be argument. But he was right, he did have to go to the doctors, everyone did when they were sixteen now but no one knew exactly why and anyone who asked questions were never heard from again. It sounded a bit too suspicious

It was now 8:30 in the morning and Flynn's friend William was waiting outside. He knocked on the door repeatedly until Flynn finally answered. As Flynn pulled open the door Will's fist tapped his face repeatedly as if he was still knocking on the door. Flynn finally stopped him when he grabbed his wrist. "You know that maybe funny in the cartoons, but it bloody hurts in real life."

To that his friend laughed "Happy birthday Flynn, I suppose your morning went well?" He said with a smile.

"Well, Will, it was going great until I almost got my nose broken by some idiot at the door." Flynn reached out his hand for a handshake and Will did the same. "Happy birthday Will" they released each other's grasp after a firm handshake. Flynn's mother appeared behind him.

"Hey Will. Happy birthday. How's everything going at your home?" she asked.

"Well Mrs.G it's been fine to be honest, although I haven't really got that much for my birthday." His head hung a little low and his voice was a little choked up. Will had a nice family but lots of younger, more successful siblings who got way more attention than him. He was happy he had a family and a home but he sometimes thought that they didn't think he was a part of it.

"We have to go now Will, the last thing I think we want today is to be sent to jail." Flynn grabbed his leather jacket from the coat hanger and put it on. Frankly he just didn't want his mother embarrassing him again like last time, she always found a new way every time she talked to William.

"Wait Flynn I-" But she was cut off when Flynn slammed the door behind him when he left.

_Phew, good dodge._ Flynn thought, happy with the fact he dodged an embarrassing bullet. "Well we better get going." Flynn clapped his hands and set off walking with Will into town. The town of Greenbrokeshire in England was nice, small and rural. It had a nice community and some really old buildings dating back to the seventeenth century. The whole time Flynn grew up around here nothing had ever changed and he loved that. He was not a big fan of change and even a little chink in his schedule would mess him up completely. The hills were green, the forests were lush and the farms were full of life. But every now and then you could be lucky enough to see the 'Rolling Hills' as some people called them. It was when the wind was strong enough to blow all the grass on the hills to and fro, and if you were lucky enough to see it at the right point, you could see the hill change to different shades of green. Emerald, light green, dark green, all the shades of green you could think of were there. Flynn had only seen it once but he would remember it for the rest of his life. This was the perfect town.

It was about a 20 minute walk into town and to the doctors. The pair walked, chatting the whole way. "Listen I'm just saying, in a fight I would probably win" Flynn bragged.

Will laughed and replied "Yeah right, keep dreaming. You don't have any martial art skills, your hardly tall enough and if anything you'd probably talk them to death anyway. Me on the other hand... Well I don't want to brag." Will counted an extra finger with every point he made. Flynn lightly punched Will in the arm playfully. He was the best friend Flynn could ever have and was practically the brother he never had. They had grown up together since they were just kids. They had come a long way since then but they still remained strong friends. They never fought, hardly ever disagreed and always laughed at each other's jokes. He was the perfect friend.

After a few more minutes they finally arrived at the doctors. The clear sky let the Sun shine down on the building, but dark storm clouds loomed on the horizon as they always did everyday. Sometimes they staved off, others they swarmed over and covered the town in a mad frenzy of rain. As they entered the doctors the waiting room was full of boys and girls all sixteen years old, ready for their check up. Flynn and Will squeezed in to two empty seats next to each other. The room was full of chatter until the announcing box stopped it all when they called people in. Flynn was becoming a little bit squeamish beneath his smug exterior and it was not around the inconspicuous rumours of teenagers disappearing, it was the _needles_. Although the two friends did have many things in common, fear was not one of Will's traits he shared. He always had his motto: 'Fear is stupid.'

Flynn was deep in thought when his concentration was broken by the Announcer."Can Flynn Grant please go to room 4, thank you."

"Well I'm up, see you in a sec buddy." He jumped up from his seat and yelled "Happy birthday everyone, this is one hell of a party!" With that he smirked and walked towards room four leaving a few people murmuring 'Thanks' and some more people completely shocked. That was one thing about Flynn, he was always unpredictable and always did the craziest of things without any regret or thought. This got him beat up a few times and yelled at some other times, but he relished every second of it. He just loved grinding peoples gears.

Flynn gingerly entered the doctors room and shut the door gently behind him, hoping the doctor wouldn't notice. But it clicked as the lock set in place. Flynn squinted and shrunk into himself. "Ah, welcome. Please take a seat." the doctor motioned his arm towards the chair by his desk.

Flynn shuffled over like a shy child and sat quickly down. "Hey doc, umm, what-what's up? There are no diseases going around are there?" Flynn was more afraid of the needles than the answer 'yes' but he had to ask. He didn't know why he was here, just that he had to be here and any answers at all would have been nice.

The doctor swiveled on his chair to face Flynn, he made a creepy smile. "Oh no my boy it's nothing that serious, we just need to do a quick and simple test." Flynn was slightly relieved but usually quick and simple meant injections and that meant needles and... _No no no, don't think like that Flynn. But what if there are needles? I can't take the pressure!_ Flynn almost exploded with the constant battle in his head before he finally had to say it. "Will there be any needles?" But before the doctor could answer, he disappeared under his desk to open a draw. Flynn caught a glimpse of his name tag. It read ' .' All of a sudden Flynn's tensions were gone as he burst out laughing at the doctor's name. This made jump and he hit his head on the bottom of his desk.

Flynn kept laughing until raised his head with his hand rubbing the top of it. He was red with either rage or embarrassment, but either one made Flynn laugh even harder. He could barely control himself until he was silenced immediately by the item in the doctors other hand. It wasn't a needle, thank God, but it was a strange device that looked like a Geiger Counter. The needle of it was in the red but it was wobbling slightly. grabbed Flynn's arm and did that creepy smile at him again. "Just stay still, this will only take a second." He placed the counter on Flynn's shoulder and almost instantly the needle shot up into the green and a small red light flashed in the corner of it.

The doctor fell back in his chair in shock and held his hand on his forehead. "Oh-oh my... I-I think that's good. You should leave now, I have more people to see." He was physically shaking as he spoke and blatantly showed shock at his sudden change of character.

Flynn raised an eyebrow at him "Are you OK doc? You don't look too good."

almost shouted at him as he said "Yes, yes, I'm fine. You just need to leave. Now." Flynn did find it strange but naively shrugged it off. He then got up and walked towards the door and opened it before turning back and smiling, _Oh this is gonna be funny_ he thought.

"Goodbye Doctor Nick!" Then Flynn waved his hand to him before closing the door and laughing hysterically through the corridors and the waiting room before joining Will outside. Everyone in the waiting room looked at him strangely as he chuckled through it and left without even letting up with his laughter.

As the door closed, wiped the sweat off his brow and picked up the phone before dialling the numbers '''834935'''. He brought it close to his face and whispered "We have one. He's wearing a black leather jacket, black shirt and blue jeans. He's about five foot seven, Black hair and amber eyes. You better get him quick, he has one of the highest readings I've ever seen, the last one like that was Chen and we know what he turned out like."

* * *

Flynn met up with Will outside. They exchanged various questions about their doctors and what happened. Flynn knew he had to tell Will about the test. "Will? You know that thing the doctor used? Mine went all the way up to the top."

"Really? Cause mine stayed at the bottom. That's pretty weird you know. You could have something wrong with you." Before Flynn could respond a huge crack of thunder broke the tranquillity and the grey clouds from earlier had finally moved in. The perfect weather was gone now. But still they kept talking.

"I was gonna say, before SOMEONE interrupted me!" Flynn looked up to the sky as if he was talking to it."Anyway the doctor looked like he had more problems than me, he just started sweating and everything. It was kinda weird."

"Well he's a doctor he'll live with it I'm sure." Will and Flynn laughed as they walked down the street. The sky let out another loud clap of thunder then the rain came down heavily. It bounced off the rooftops and the ground, pattering as it did. People who were unfortunately caught in the rain were running around desperately searching for shelter whilst using newspapers or whatever they had in their hands over their heads to keep dry.

Flynn and Will sprinted for an alleyway which was sheltered by the roofs of the houses that created it. They banged their backs against the mossy walls of the alleyway and slid down, adding moss to their soaked coats. "Well I'm glad I brought a jacket, I love this thing."

"Oh yeah, ha ha laugh it up. I just didn't want to bake to death in the boiling Sun." Will waved his arms to shake off the rain and droplets flew everywhere. Mostly on Flynn though.

"Hey if your going to act like a dog then be a good boy and get me a newspaper to read whilst we wait." Flynn rubbed his friends hair. "Now there's a good boy!" Flynn laughed whilst Will hung his head in shame, water dripping down his face and falling off his chin. The amusement was cut off however when three men dressed in long black trench coats appeared at the end of the alley, their faces were covered by masks. They were at least six foot tall and their shadows loomed over the two sixteen-year-old boys.

Flynn was hardly intimidated by their little "act" and quickly cut the tension. "Hey guys, can we help you? Did you get lost on the way to your Matrix convention" He elbowed Will and pointed to the three men. "Which one of those do you reckon is Neo?" Only Flynn started chuckling and snickering before they were interrupted.

"Enough games!" The man in the middle raised his hand up as if to halt the entire rant. "Flynn Grant, we need you to come with us. Now." They all took a step forward and at that point Flynn and Will quickly rose from the floor.

"And what if I refuse?" Flynn crossed his arms and smirked. The cloaked men took no time and quickly pulled out tasers, ready to fire.

"We can be very persuasive." They all charged their tasers and Flynn could hear the sharp buzz of electricity going through them. "Now come with us we don't have to make this any more difficult than it needs to be."

Will slowly walked in front of Flynn to shield him from what would be a certain shock. "Flynn, go, now" he started to push Flynn away with his right hand whilst keeping the cloaked men at bay with his left.

"No, Will, I'm not going anywhere." Flynn replied whilst being pushed back by Will. "You need me here."

"Yes 'Will' he's not going anywhere." The tension rose as neither side knew what was going to happen, Flynn went through the scenarios in his head. Each one got him electrocuted or Will electrocuted, they couldn't win this fight, not by a long shot. Flynn knew only one way no one would get hurt but before he could surrender Will kicked the taser out of the middle man's hands before ducking under a shot by the one on the left and punching him in the face.

"Go. Now." Flynn instinctively ran down the alley and scaled the wall at the end of it making his way to the top of the rooftops. Meanwhile William kicked the tallest man in the middle in the gut, winding him and making him drop to the floor holding his stomach.

The final man on the left went to whip Will with his taser but Will grabbed his wrist and thrust his palm against the man's elbow, breaking it and releasing the taser from his grasp. But before Will had time to react to the tallest man getting up he was tased by the other man who he punched in the face earlier. Will fell to his knees and was now at the mercy of the cloaked figures. Shaking violently, Will tried to retaliate, but his muscles felt like jelly and he couldn't control them; Something to be expected when being tazered with 5,000 vaults.

Flynn watched from the rooftops above in the soaking rain as his friend was taken down. He had to get help, but he couldn't just leave him in the hands of these people. He was torn between two decisions, wondering whether he should stay or go. But as he deliberated he was frozen on the spot, just watching the horror unfold below him. The tallest cloaked man walked up to Will and lifted up his head by his hair and punched him in his nose, which immediately started bleeding. "Tell me where he is boy" He then punched Will in the face again, knocking out a tooth.

Will stated laughing through gritted teeth and spat out his loose one, which was covered in blood. "Even if I did know where he went, why would I tell you?" He then got kneed in the gut which winded him and made him cough out some blood. Flynn wanted to help, but Will was doing this to protect him. If he revealed himself Will would have gone through all of this pain for no reason. "You can do this all day... I'm not gonna tell you anything." Will then spat blood in the cloaked man's face.

"Well then." The man withdrew from his leaned position and stood up straight, wiping the blood off his face he pulled a pistol from a holster on the inside of his trench coat. "You've outdated your usefulness." He placed the barrel on Will's head. Will could feel the coldness of the barrel and it sent a shiver down his spine. "Such a shame." And then he pulled the trigger. The gunshot cracked through the air like the thunder from before and went straight through Flynn's ears making him jolt in shock. All in that moment the whole world slowed down, Flynn just saw his best friend die a horrible and gruesome death because of him. He saw the man who did it, he saw the satisfaction on his face, the pleasure it brought him. Flynn couldn't take it any more, everything he just saw just filled him with so much anger and rage, he had to let it out and that man was the start.

Flynn's eyes narrowed on him and his fists tightened until his knuckles were white. He leapt off the roof and landed behind the three men. The thud he made when he landed caught their attention and the three turned around in surprise and quickly went into fighting stances, the middle one pulled out his gun. But before they could react, Flynn (who was driven by rage) set his fists alight with fire and sprinted towards them, screaming whilst he did. The shortest of the men ducked under a punch that was thrown by Flynn and started rabidly jabbing him in his left ribs until one broke in half. Flynn yelped in pain and as the short man went to punch him in the face Flynn quickly grabbed the man's wrist and held it. The fire burned his wrist and the man screamed in pain before being silenced by a fiery punch to the face which knocked him out.

The large man went to shoot Flynn but he quickly turned and sent a fire blast into the chest of the attacker, as it burned through his trench coat he dropped to the floor and started rolling in an attempt to put it out. The cloaked man who was left tried to do a sloppy hook punch because his previous injury could not let him do anything else, but Flynn grabbed his hand and scolded it. The man fell to the floor holding his hand and screaming in pain whilst he rocked back and forth. The tallest man got up throwing off his trench coat which continued to burn on the floor. He ran towards Flynn and tackled him to the ground, staying on top of him the man started to punched Flynn in the face twice before Flynn rose his forearms up to block further punches. He then kicked his attacker off with both his legs, rolled backwards and got up. The attacker stumbled back and hit the wall, Flynn then grabbed his arms and pushed him against the wall. He was now at Flynn's mercy.

Flynn punched wildly at his face, striking it multiple times before starting to uppercut him in the stomach. Each punch burnt him and caused him to bleed more, each punch fuelled by rage. Flynn just couldn't stop hitting him, the man was already unconscious and sliding down the wall but Flynn was so driven by rage and he just kept hitting and hitting the man's face, screaming with rage with every punch. He did one more punch and then a satisfying crunch of the man's skull finally stopped Flynn from striking. Flynn let out an animalistic roar whilst tears rolled down his cheeks. The perfect blend of rage and purpose.

He looked over at his friend lying on the floor with a gaping whole in his head then everything came rushing back to him. Flynn blinked hard and shook his head as if he was returning to reality, not even aware of what he just did. He looked at the man who was lying dead against the wall in shock but then realised all the burn marks across his face and the blood seeping from the side of his head. _Did I do that?_. He then looked down at his hands to check for blood but all he saw was fire. His eyes widened at the sight of it, his hands were on fire but they didn't hurt. Flynn then shook his hands to put it out, but nothing happened, so he clenched his fist, then the flames dispersed into nothingness.

Flynn then walked over to Will and knelt by his side. "I am so sorry Will, I should of helped, I should of done... something." His voice was broken by tears and he cried silently until he noticed the man with the scolded hand get up and reach for his radio.

He picked it up and desperately spoke "We need back up, he's too strong!" Flynn then sprinted up to him and kicked him in the face which made the man join his friends on the cold, wet floor. He had to get out of there before more of them came and he ran for the exit of the alleyway. Flynn took one last look at the alleyway that changed his life and his friend who was lying in a pool of blood that was being washed away into the gutter, he didn't have time to pay his last respects as he heard heavy footsteps approaching from the corner. He quickly fled the area, holding onto his broken rib and asking himself how he did all that.

Flynn finally found a safe place in-between two bins to hide and sort out the all the questions in his head. For the second time today, Flynn had no idea what was happening. _Where did those people come from? How can I set my hands on fire? Why me?_ He just couldn't make sense of it all, it all happened so quickly. He could only remember fragments of what happened but the most prominent was his best friend being shot in the head and him beating a man to death. He tried to set his hands alight again by using different movements. He shook his hands around, clenched his fists but to no avail. In frustration he punched the air in front of him and a fire ball shot out of it. This made him look at his hand in amazement. He tried punching out again and another fire ball flew out. Flynn went to punch with his left hand but his broken rib stopped him when it sent excruciating pain throughout his body. This was bizarre, how could he do that? He needed answers for everything, but there was one thing that was niggling in the back of his mind that suddenly came to light. _If they knew who I was... Then they will know about my parents._

* * *

Flynn sprinted through the streets whilst holding his left rib. He had cuts and bruises on his face, and he looked like had been dragged through a hedge backwards. After 30 minutes the rain didn't let up and it seemed like there was no end of it in sight. He had to stop however when he saw a black unmarked van parked up on the street and two cloaks walking on the other side, to avoid them he skirted round the back of a nearby house an attempted to scale a fence. His rib however stopped him as he tried to reach up to grab the top of the fence. After a couple of jumps and some serious pain Flynn decided to suck it up and he clambered up the fence. The pain was unbearable as he finally went over the high fence and landed in a strangers' garden. Flynn was definitely near his house now he could tell by the houses around him, he scanned the area before climbing another fence and landing on another side street. There was a terrace house row and he went round the back of that to avoid the cloaks on the street.

Finally reaching his destination Flynn poked his head round a corner to see if anyone was around and certainly enough, there was. Then he remembered that the back door was open before he left earlier and after some sneaking around he went through the gate in the back of his garden and reached the back door of his house. He opened the door carefully, making sure he didn't alert anybody and walked quietly inside he went through the kitchen and into the dining room looking around himself all the time. Thinking it was safe he shouted "Mum, dad. Are you here?" When he went through the door to the living room he got his answer.

There they lay on the white carpet legs and arms sprawled out across the floor, their necks cut clean through. It looked like there was a conflict though as there was a crack in the TV and the lamp was knocked over in the corner. Flynn looked in horror at the sight of his dead parents and he broke down right then and there. Tears flowed down his cheeks and off his chin. "Why? Why did they have to take you too?"

"Because your bending scum that's why." Flynn snapped his head around to see a man standing in the doorway with a disgusted face. "Look at you, you think your all high and mighty and as soon as something bad happens you cry, like a little baby." He walked closer to Flynn who had returned to look at his parents. Their blood had stained the carpet red and their faces were illuminated by the flickering static of the television.

"Go away... Now!" Flynn said in a deep and threatening voice; If the sound of a sobbing child was threatening.

"Or what little baby? You gonna hurt me? Look at yourself. Your nothing." He kept teasing Flynn then he spat on his face. That was it. The rage took hold of Flynn again and he punched a fire blast towards the man which knocked him down onto the floor. Flynn then went on top of him, grabbing his throat and burning it with his hand. The man instantly took back what he said but he couldn't speak. He could feel his throat drying out and his windpipes being crushed. Just before he was going to pass out Flynn seemed to regain control of himself and he let go, leaving the man to cough and splutter on the floor.

"No, I'm not going to kill again." Flynn turned back to his parents and then looked at the picture on top of the fireplace. He held it up and saw how happy they were in it. Then he looked at their faces as they were lying on the floor and they were the exact opposite, full of sadness and despair. Flynn then remembered the cash he left on the table, he quickly scooped it up and stuffed it into his pocket.

When the man on the floor could finally speak again he said "Don't worry kid, you don't have to kill me" He then pulled out a trigger for some explosives. "Tick. Tick. Tick," he said mockingly, flicking open the the arming shield. Flynn's eyes widened and he dropped the picture on the floor before racing towards the back door to try and escape. He barely made it through the door when the explosives went off. The force sent him flying through the air and through the back fence of his garden. Fire burst through the windows shattering the glass into hundreds of pieces.

Flynn awoke a few minutes later face down in the dirt with a piece of wood sticking in his left arm. He tried to get up but his left arm was completely incapacitated and after a few more seconds of recuperation he pushed up on his right arm and rose to his feet unsteadily. Flynn turned to the burning wreck that was his home with no emotion at all, he just stood there and watched as his life was completely destroyed. Even though the rain had stopped Flynn heard a loud rumble in the distance, then another, then another. A few more seconds later and smoke pillars were rising into the sky from different locations around town. He knew where they were. His uncles house, his grandfathers house. He could go on.

Then he wished for the rain to come. So it could wash away the blood. So it could douse the fires that now burned his old life to the ground.

Flynn looked at his left arm and saw all the damage, _I have to get some help, I'm losing too much blood._ But he had to find somewhere they wouldn't be, somewhere they would never look. Flynn turned his head to the top of the hill and saw the old farmhouse that had always been there since the day he could remember. _There. They won't find me there. Time to get out of this nightmare._

**Meanwhile at the Authorities headquarters...**

''Ring. Ring. Ring.''

"Yes, yes what is it.?" A tall man picked up the phone and answered with an annoyed tone. His room was dimly lit with green tinted lamps and he was sitting next to his gun rack cleaning a pistol.

"Sir we have a problem. There is an escaped Firebender. He has evaded all our patrols." A young private spoke nervously down the phone because this man wasn't just a normal soldier, he was _the_ Colonel.

"And what do you want with me private? My skills are better suited to more... Challenging cases." The Colonel kept cleaning his gun as he rested the phone between his cheek and his shoulder.

"Sir, this isn't a request, it- it's an order. Fr-from high command"

"WHAT!? What makes him so 'special'?"

"They say his name is Flynn Grant sir, they said that name would get your attention." The private managed to gain control of his nerves to relay the orders but he was scared for is next response.

"Grant you say?" The Colonel put his gun down, picked up his sniper rifle and pulled back the bolt. "I'll be there."

* * *

Author's Note - This is my first fan fic and really my first piece of writing I have done proper. Any reviews that can help me improve will be appreciated.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2-The Healer

_Their weapons were unlike anything we had ever seen before. Long tubes of wood and metal exploded and sent little pellets out of them; the army's armour was useless against this new form of attack._

_I issued the command to my small earthbending faction to start mortaring the shore line before the Authorities could advance. The Fire Lord objected as his men were still in the fray, but I fired anyway. Now that I remember we seemed to have hit more allies than we did enemies and that further helped their advancement up the capitol's port._

_The small patches of red representing the Fire nation Army had been slowly moving backwards as the minutes past and it came to the Fire Lord's attention that his men were scattered and confused. Then he himself issued a far less clumsy and more precise fire-mortar strike to cripple the enemy and regroup his troops. He demanded that I do the same with mine, but my military inexperience and blatant naivety led me to joining my troops in a charge for the main Authority army._

_I can still vaguely remember his shouts of objections as he pulled his troops up the volcano as I slid down from our vantage point. I just did not care to hear them at the time. It was my power and hunger for battle that brought me down and led my men into the maw of the beast that was the Authority Army._

_From the Journal of Avatar Shibai, 270 ASC..._

* * *

Flynn trudged up the muddy hill with his left arm hanging limp by his side, the spike of wood still wedged into it. He had tied his belt above it to stop most of the bleeding but it was still bleach white and Flynn had lost all feeling in it. His eyes bore black rings beneath them and his head lazily flopped from side to side with every footstep he took. He was physically and mentally drained from his earlier encounters. He was having flashbacks from earlier. His friend Will being shot. Him beating a man to death with a blind fury. His hands setting alight with fire. His house being destroyed. His parents dead. It was all so much to take in. Any more surprises today and Flynn wouldn't of been able to take it any more.

It had only taken him an hour and a half to reach the farmhouse but it felt like days. He had to avoid all the cloaks on the streets and take side routes so people didn't see his injuries. He was alone now, well and truly alone. He had lost his friend, his parents, his entire family and now he was willing to trust a stranger to try and help him. What was he thinking? They could rat him out, finish him themselves or it could even be a secret base for the suspicious men roaming the streets looking for him. He was getting too paranoid and started flicking his eyes around in every direction to check the area. "_Better ditch the jacket._" He thought but as he tugged at the sleeve something was stopping it, the wooden spike. He tried this earlier and it hurt like hell, but it was time to try again since he couldn't feel anything. He grasped the spike with his right hand started to pull at it. Instantly blood started to slowly ooze out and pain shot right through Flynn's left arm making him scream in pain and letting go immediately. "Yep, knew that was a bad idea"

Flynn walked up to the farmhouse. Its walls were white, spotted by green moss and worn down in places. The windows were thin, old and rotting. It was two stories high and the roof bore black slates. Flynn knocked on the door, which was surprisingly thick and tried to put on a normal looking face instead one of anguish and pain. An old woman opened the door and looked at him curiously. She eyed him up and down and saw his colourless, cut face, his blooded shirt, and the spike in his arm.

He looked at her ragged blue dress, her wrinkled face and piercing blue eyes. Flynn felt like those eyes could see right through him and go right into his soul. "What do you want?" She had a cranky sounding voice with a slight bit of gruffness to it which instantly put Flynn on the defensive.

Flynn was now wary of asking for help, she didn't seem like the friendliest type of person but he started to feel his head going light and his eyes started to sting and fade to black. Just before he was about to collapse he straightened himself up. "I need your help..."

"Well I never would of guessed that. Come in child." The old woman stepped aside so Flynn could enter the house. Flynn staggered past her and through the door. She took a few glances around the fields before shuffling back through the door and closing it behind her. The main living room was full of what could only be described as tribal decorations. Animal skins littered the floor and the walls, whilst paintings were hung over the fireplace of weird animals. One looked like a flying pig and the largest one looked like some sort of polar bear dog. Flynn was looking around for a while, entranced by the exotic decorations before him. The old woman then appeared behind him.

"Why don't you sit down?" She asked with a more sincere tone this time and Flynn instantly flopped down onto the couch that lay in the centre of the room. All of his muscles relaxed and he finally felt relaxed for the first time in hours. Then his world went dark. A few minutes later Flynn awoke and saw the old lady looking down on him worryingly.

"Are you okay?" She asked whilst placing her wrinkly hand on his arm.

Flynn gritted his teeth together, "Yeah. I'm feeling peachy." He sat up, shrugging off her gentle hand. "Listen is there something you can do to help me? 'Cause if there isn't I'm going to set off again."

"I can only help you if you help me." She sat next to Flynn and gave him a reassuring smile that stretched from one side of her face to the other. "My name is Khana, what is your name?" She spoke to him as if he was a child, this didn't help Flynn's attitude any better.

"It's Flynn. Flynn Grant." He let out a large sigh before continuing. "Sorry if I don't shake your hand but I'm not the trusting type."

"Since when? It doesn't seem like you?" Khana had already perceived his character with her judging eyes before he even spoke. Flynn felt almost instantly disarmed but was persistent to keep his slighty aggressive nature up.

"Since... Since... It doesn't matter, you don't need to know." Flynn kept his reason to himself in case Khana would rat him out. _We need to take care of her. We can't trust her. _Voices started to whisper and echo inside Flynn's head. _Let me finish her, GIVE ME CONTROL._ A splitting headache went straight across Flynn's forehead, making him cringe and wince in pain.

"Are you okay?" Khana put another reassuring hand on Flynn's shoulder when he flinched from the headache. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me, I didn't mean to pry. Now stay here I'll be back in a second." Khana got up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen.

Flynn leant over and buried his face in his right hand. His mind traced off into deep memories.

* * *

_The sun was rising slowly over the hills of Greenbrokeshire and Flynn and his father were sitting down on the highest hill in the east of town. Their figures cast silhouettes against the Sun. "What are we doing here daddy?"_

_"We are waiting son." Flynn's father looked down at his son with a small smile._

_"Waiting? For what?" He looked up inquisitively at his father._

_"Peace son. We are waiting for Peace."_

Flynn was quickly taken back to reality when Khana dropped a full bucket of water on the wooden floor."Let me take a look at that arm for you." Flynn turned his pale face towards Khana and shot her a sharp look. "Don't worry I'm going heal that." His eyes widened when Khana drew water from the bucket with a flick of her wrist and dragged it through the air and onto her hand. Flynn was lost for words, he just sat there with his mouth gaping open as Khana moved herself towards Flynn's left arm.

"My that is a big splinter." she said whilst examining it with her index finger.

"Tell me about it." There was no humour nor any other emotion in his voice, he was still full of shock and pain. That didn't help when Khana took a firm grasp of the wooden spike and quickly pulled hard on it without warning. This got the spike out but didn't help Flynn's pain. He yelped out and the rage took hold instantly, setting his hands on fire. _Finally a chance to-._But his stone cold rage was quickly soothed during the beginning of Khana's healing session. Her glowing hands stopped the bleeding instantly.

"That is a nasty one, I should be able to heal the wound but there will be a scar." Khana sounded more professional than the doctor in town and Flynn's trust was starting to reluctantly increase.

"You know next time, can you tell me when your about to do that. And why aren't you surprised about my hands?" Flynn asked Khana.

"Because I've seen people like you before." Flynn looked at her curiously. "What, did you think you were the only one?"

"Well, I didn't know I had these powers until this morning. I don't exactly know what I am."

"You are a Firebender my dear." Khana said with a smile.

"A what now?"

"A Firebender."

"And what can a 'Firebender' do?" Flynn made air quotes to emphasise how little sense this made.

"As a Firebender you have the power to bend the element of fire to your will. It is an amazing gift that has been given to you by the Spirits. There are many like you." Flynn raised an eyebrow as if trying to say _explain_. "A long time ago, the Spirits taught humanity how to bend the elements around us. Water, Fire, Earth and Air became tools for our everyday lives, and soon they changed the way we lived and how we looked on life. The world became divided because of the four elements, creating the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, the Air Nomads and the Water Tribes. Everyone was happy with their lives until the Authorities came."

Flynn found himself literally at the end of his seat listening to Khana's interesting tale, it made no sense but it felt right. Khana looked over to him to see if he was still interested and after seeing his expression, she continued.

"The Authorities were a group of Non-Benders who believed that we were stopping the advancement of humanity. We as benders obviously disagreed with this statement and so they set out to prove us wrong. They made deadly machines and new weapons to wipe us all out. And they did. They took over the world almost 350 years ago and they still control it now."

"Wait are you saying that they hunt benders?" It was obvious now, it was them who were roaming the streets looking for him.

"Yes, all the time. Recently they have made a device which can read the amount of chi in a persons body." _The device_ Flynn thought. "It makes it much easier to find us."

"Why don't people fight them?"

"Because they can't Flynn. There are more of them than there are of us. People who might be able to bend don't know how because it is kept a secret in the world. We just hide and try to survive."

Flynn had the answers he needed. Who was after him, why they were doing it, but one thing was still unanswered; Why his entire family?

"Now you need to take off your shirt so I can see the rest of the damage."

"How did you know?" Flynn was wondering how far this old ladies' powers went.

"There is blood all over you, it's not that hard to miss." Flynn went to remove his jacket but parts of the leather had melted onto his skin from where his hands were on fire and the rest of the sleeves were charred completely. He squinted as he slowly peeled the leather off his wrists, his skin desperately trying to keep hold of it. When he finally got rid of the leather he took off his jacket and then his shirt. He'd taken more hits than he thought he did, Flynn's body was covered in bruises and the skin around his left rib was split by the bone sticking partially through it.

"Oh my, That is quite a mess." Khana drew more water from the bucket and placed it round her hand. "Let me just..." She moved the water round Flynn's rib in a rhythmic figure eight pattern. It was extremely soothing and all of Flynn's tensions released. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins and reparing the wound, he could feel the bone slowly shifting back into place and- _CRACK_. "There!" Khana's sense f accomplishment was not shared by Flynn.

The bone snapped back into its original place sending pain through Flynn's side, a feeling he had grown quite accustomed to over the past few hours. "Ah son of a..." Flynn quickly put a hand over his mouth to stop his next word. Khana raised an eyebrow towards him. "Sorry."

"It doesn't matter, here let me get those other injuries for you."

After another hour of healing the sun had set and the darkness covered the rural town. "There we go, all finished."

"Thank you." Flynn smiled at Khana, who exchanged exactly the same smile towards Flynn.

"Don't worry about it dear, it was nothing really. Just don't put too much pressure on that rib so soon, it could break again." Khana went to put the bucket back into the kitchen when she saw the time on her clock. She placed the bucket in the doorway and brought her hands up to her mouth. "My goodness look at the time. You better get some rest."

"No, no I'm fine really." He put his hand out as a sincere gesture. "I don't want to burden you any more than I already have. I have to go anyway." He motioned his thumb towards the door.

"Nonsense, you will stay here and let your wounds heal. And where will you go any way?"

"I-I... I don't know really." Flynn scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"See? You will stay here tonight my little Firebender. You can have the couch and blankets are in the cupboard there."

"Umm... Thanks?" Flynn felt a little pressured into this. Why did she want him to stay so badly? When Khana went up the stairs Flynn rose up from the couch and walked to the cupboard to get some blankets. He held them in his hand wondering if he should stay or go. Where would he go? What would he do? All he had was a fistful of cash and a broken spirit, hardly enough to survive nights on the road let alone against those thugs that roamed the streets.

He had no choice but to stay. He lay on the couch and drifted off into an uneasy slumber.

* * *

_"What do you mean by peace dad?"_

_"Just wait son, it will be here soon" Flynn's father put an arm around his son and drew him in. Flynn let out a childish giggle. "There it is." He pointed a finger towards the hills on the west. The Sun's beams of light reflected off the blades of grass covered by the early morning dew. It brought out an array of emerald green across the entire west hill range. The wind began to pick up, "Here... We... Go." An almighty gust moved across the hills, blowing the grass onto its side and revealing a light shade of green which the sunlight reflected off again._

_It was amazing. The grass was dancing with the wind, creating a beautiful cast of colours. A young Flynn could feel the warmth of the sun and he could see the performance of nature. He was truly at peace. He closed his eyes and a fire was created in the palms of his hands without him even realising it. His father glanced over with widened eyes._

Suddenly the dream drained way into the black void.

_"Will!" BANG!_

Flynn shot straight up into a seated position with sweat dripping from his brow and forehead. He wiped the sweat away with the back of his hand and he glanced towards the clock.

06:30

Flynn had to get some fresh air, his head was swimming and he felt cramped in this small house. He left the farmhouse and quietly shut the door behind him so he wouldn't wake Khana. Flynn took a big breath in and opened his eyes as he breathed out. In front of him was the Sun gingerly peaking it's head above the horizon. He could instantly feel the heat from it, even though sunrise had barely even begun. The warmth flowed from his breath, in his lungs, down his arms and legs and before he knew it fire was created in his palms. He closed them to extinguish the flame. It felt good, surprisingly good. He felt rejuvenated, lively, better than he had felt in years, even better since... _The Rolling Hills._ The thought lingered in his mind for a while. He closed his eyes to try and picture it again, that perfect moment, but he found something else, something dark, destructive. It was strong, covered in flames. It was him.

He saw himself. He was that monster. "_The voice..._" He thought to himself. And if just on cue it started to rise up and take control of him. He had to calm down, he had to think about this. Flynn sat cross-legged on the grass outside the house and let the rising Sun empower him. He took another deep breath in and released creating fire in the palms of his hands. He rested his hands on his knees and closed his eyes, beginning a sort of meditative state.

He was calm, at peace, deep inside his own thoughts. Memories of a time less hectic then today. He and his friend Will causing all sorts of trouble. The good times with his family, the holidays and the family dinners. Then it was all taken away so quickly. One shot, one hour, one day was all it took to change his life. Flynn had no purpose, no drive to do anything, he was a broken soul. Flynn's visions were lost though as his mind slipped into the unknown blackness that was the dark recesses of his mind.

Flynn continued to sit down on the grass for over an hour before he got up and went inside the house. When he entered, Khana was sitting on the couch watching the TV in the corner. The news was on and Flynn stood in the doorway watching it without Khana noticing his presence.

The female news reporter was standing outside the wreckage of his house, microphone in hand. "I'm standing outside of what remains of a house in Greenbrokeshire, where two bodies have been found by local police. The incident happened at around ten-thirty yesterday when a series of houses were blown up in a suspected terrorist attack. The houses targeted all belonged to the Grant family, who have been involved in stopping terrorist attacks for years. There is only one person who has not been recovered and that is the 16 year old Flynn Grant. Many questions still remain, but one thing we do know, is that this is a very tragic event. Back to the studio."

Khana's head dropped and she turned her head to see Flynn leaning against the wall in the door way with his arms crossed. "I'm so sorry Flynn." Flynn just grunted and turned his head away from her; seeing it all and hearing it in words just brought everything he tried to remember disappear again. Khana stood up and slowly walked towards him. "I truly am." Flynn turned his head back round to her. In her eyes a young boy his age with that face of grief was something that would bring tears to anybody's eyes. "Hey I've got an idea. Why don't you join me out back, we need to get those skills up my little Firebender," she said, trying to get his spirits up, even if it was little bit.

"Fine." Flynn joined Khana through the kitchen and out the back door. The view was amazing yet boring at the same time. All you could see was fields full of grass and wild wheat which stretched for over 40 acres of land. The main garden was lush and full of plants and fresh green grass. At the end stood three tree stumps.

"Wait here." Khana went back inside and Flynn was left to admire the view for a few seconds until Khana came back out of the house levitating three watermelons by controlling the water inside of them. She set them down on the three tree stumps. "There we go. Hit the melons."

Khana stepped aside and Flynn put on a serious face and got into a wider stance, his fists ready in a boxing sort of position. His eyes narrowed on the right water melon, his fists set alight and he puched towards it, sending a fire blast in its direction. The fire however veered too far right and missed completely. Khana looked at him with a smirk on her face, Flynn looked back. "What? I've never done this before."

"Don't worry, just try it again. This time focus on the target." Flynn nodded and looked back at the watermelon. He took a deep breath in and shot out another fire blast with a punch. This one hit the watermelon and made it exploded into a thousand pieces, sending juice everywhere which covered Flynn's face whilst Khana held it back with Waterbending. Flynn just stood there with a blank expression as the red liquid slowly dripped down his face. He took the bottom of his shirt and used it to wipe it off.

"Very good Flynn. Now get the one on the left." Flynn hit that one straight away and turned to the one in the centre. With a bit more confidence he did two quick jabs of fire and blew up the centre watermelon. He smirked a little over his small triumph and faced Khana.

"See that? Fire throwing master right here." Flynn jabbed his thumbs into his chest.

"Yes very good, keep practising." Khana then went back inside her house and closed the door behind her.

"Your gonna leave me out here? Fine I'll just shoot some more fire, not like I've got anything else to do!" He shouted back to Khana who had already begun to ignore him.

* * *

After another hour Flynn came back inside. To find Khana streaming water and moving it fluidly between her two hands. She circled it round her and over her head before levelling her arms in a diagonal position which slid the water back into the bucket. "Cool." Flynn walked over, sat on the couch and looked over at Khana.

She joined him, gently sitting down next to him. "I'm guessing your not going to stay, are you?"

"I'm sorry Khana but I'll put you in too much danger. You just can't stow me away in here forever. I have to find my own way." He looked at her with a face full of regret and sorrow. Although it had only been a day Khana had proven to be a second grandparent to him.

"I know dear. You know I wasn't always in this house. I lived somewhere far away from here."

"Really?" Flynn had suddenly become very curious to find the origins of this mysterious old woman.

"Yes, I once lived in a small colony in the South Pole." She sighed and looked up in thought. "It was a peaceful place, where benders lived a free and prosperous life. No Authorities, no dictators, just the council and the fair people who built it."

"Sounds like heaven. So why did you leave if it was perfect?"

"I didn't say it was perfect. Nothing is perfect really. Perfection is an illusion that is created by our arrogance and will never be achieved. No I left because I knew people needed my help. I could feel their suffering here on the mainland and I decided to leave my home, my daughter and granddaughter in a hope that I could guide people to safety." Khana's head hung low. "I sacrificed all that sixteen years ago and I have met nobody who needed my help..." She looked up at Flynn with a hopeful smile. "Until I met you."

Flynn smiled back. "Thanks, but where are you going with this?"

"I'm saying you should go to the South Pole and live a happy and peaceful life."

"I'm sorry Khana but I'm not running from these people. They need to pay for what they did to me." Flynn spoke with cold confidence, but it wasn't truly him, no it was something else inside of him. That monster. Or was it?

"Listen Flynn, the road you want to take will only end up with more death, including your own. You can't find peace on this road."

Flynn quickly got up from his seat and frowned at Khana. "You think I want peace!? I want revenge!"

Khana then got up and grabbed Flynn by the shoulders and shook him vigorously. "Listen to me Flynn!" He tried to turn his head away to ignore her, but she just shook him more. "Flynn, you think you have nothing to live for. But that is not true." Flynn turned his head back round to face Khana. "Your families memory lies within you. If you die, their memory will be lost forever. Everything that they've done will be gone."

"But Khana I'm so lost. Your right about the memories, but that can't replace them."

"I know a broken soul is hard to mend. I was like you too once. In the South Pole my mother died when I was born and my father left me when I was two. I was lost and alone on the street until I found out about my families' true heritage. I then began to appreciate what my parents did, even if they weren't there."

"I don't know Khana I-" Flynn was cut off when a vase shattered into pieces. The two instantly flinched then the windows started to break as bullets penetrated the glass. "Get down!" Flynn grabbed Khana and dropped to the floor so the bullets wouldn't hit them. Before they knew it, gas grenades flew through the windows and began to leak out the green gasses inside them.

Khana's old lungs could hardly take the smallest of doses of the gas and she immediately began to cough violently. Desperate to get her to safety, Flynn shuffled across the floor on his stomach to get to the back door, dragging Khana with him. They finally reached the back door but the green gas had filled the room completely and started to take effect on Flynn, making him grow weaker. With the last of his strength he pushed the heavy door open and crawled outside, Khana still in hand.

As the fresh air from the outside began to refill Flynn and Khana's lungs they got up and started to run for the wheat fields, completely unaware of what was waiting for them. Just as they were about to get to the fields 10 men sprung up from them, knives in hand. They sprinted towards the tired duo with striding steps and arms pumping. Flynn and Khana tried to run away but it was pointless, these men were in perfect form and quickly gaining. Out of breath, Flynn turned around and launched two fire blasts into the line of oncoming troops. They easily dodged them and continued running.

They reached the already weary pair of benders and swarmed them like flies. One came from behind Flynn and went to stab him with the knife, he would have been done for if Khana had not hit the man with a water whip, created from the water from the grass. Flynn turned and nodded towards her to show his thanks before turning back to the opponents in front of him. One thrust a knife towards him but Flynn grabbed his wrist and shot a blast of fire into his ribs, knocking him back six feet. Another quickly followed with a swipe to the face but Flynn ducked beneath it and then jumped backwards as the man attempted to slice his stomach. The flurry of swipes didn't let up and Flynn was at his wits end. Every time there was an opening he would shoot a fire blast in his direction but Flynn's unsteady stance didn't allow for accurate shots and he missed every time.

Khana on the other hand was having much more success. She drained the water from the grass around her and turned it into 5 ice spears, one for each man. She sent one into the chests of each of the men, killing them instantly. She melted the spikes and used the water to send a wave towards Flynn's attacker.

Relieved, Flynn took the advantage to send fire blasts to the next three men, their clothes set alight which sent them into a mass panic. They didn't seem so professional any more. Their victory was cut short though when they heard the loud rumble of a helicopter coming over the horizon. A man was sat in the side of it with a sniper rifle hilted up against his shoulder and his eyes aimed down the sight. Both Khana and Flynn's eyes widened and they started to run away in a mad frenzy but his aim was far too steady for him to miss.

Bang.

The gunshot cracked through the air and went straight in Khana's thigh, making her topple onto the sodden ground. Khana then pulled up some water and froze it to stop the next bullet. Flynn, realising her struggle ran over to her whilst dodging bullets fired by the man in the helicopter. He slid across the grass into the cover of Khana's ice shield.

"Are you okay?" Flynn reached out with a helping hand but Khana pushed it away.

"I'm fine dear." She squinted for a moment in pain. "Listen, Flynn you need to get out of here."

"No, no I'm not leaving you. I'm not leaving another friend alone again."

Khana grabbed Flynn's hands. "You have to go. To continue your families legacy. To live a happy and peaceful life. They will kill you if you stay. I am not losing anyone else to this cruel world."

Flynn shrugged off her hands and he set his own alight. "I'll be right back, just stay here." He then leaned out of the ice cover and shot two fireballs at the helicopter, but they were too weak and they dissipated before they even reached their target. "_Gonna have to get closer_" He thought. Then it came to him.

He kept leaning his head slightly out of the cover so the sniper would fire, quickly pulling back when it skimmed the corner. "_Come on he has to run out of bullets soon_". He leaned his head out again and there was no gunshot. The man in the helicopter pulled the trigger but it was only followed by a click. Angry at his stupid mistake the man began fumbling around for another clip.

"_There we go_". Flynn sprinted out of the cover and across the small field of grass with long strides, completely unaware of the row of 10 riflemen waiting for him. But when he did it was too late, he was fully committed to this now. He went into a low run in an attempt to dodge the bullets until he got to the range where they began to charge him with the bayonets attached to their guns. Determined to keep moving he ducked under one man's swipe, grabbed his left leg, put his forearm against his chest and, using the momentum, flipped the man over onto his back. He sent two fire blasts at another person, knocking him to the ground. Still running, he used the wet grass to drop to his knees and slide under two of the soldiers' swipes. Still sliding, he felt he was in range and punched a flurry of fireballs at the helicopter.

The sniper didn't find the spare clip and saw the fire storm heading to his way. "Dammit". He unbuckled his harness and leapt from the helicopter that was at least 30 feet in the air. The fireballs hit the helicopters' fuel tank and made it explode. The man who leapt from the helicopter broke his fall by rolling as he landed, forwarding his momentum. As he got out of his roll he stood up and instantly pulled out one of his guns from the holster and held it to Flynn's head. He was surrounded by the riflemen as well.

When the burning carcass of the helicopter hit the ground with a loud crash Flynn smirked slightly and raised his hands in the air. "Sorry about that."

"I have you now."

"Okay Darth, what you gonna tell me next? Your my father?"

"Don't you know who I am?" The man was getting impatient, he expected this bending scum to know who he was. "I am the Colonel!"

Flynn's grin turned into a full smile. "The Colonel?" Flynn then looked away and pondered the statement. "Nope, never heard of you." He burst out into laughter.

"Be quiet!" The Colonel smacked Flynn across the face with his gun. When Flynn recovered He placed the gun back to his head. "Goodbye, scum."

A rush of water wiped out the men circling Flynn. In the confusion Flynn knocked the gun out of the Colonel's hand went to punch him in the face, but he didn't know of his martial arts experience until he easily blocked the punch and elbowed Flynn in the face. He was knocked down to the ground holding his bleeding nose. The Colonel pulled out his other pistol and aimed it back at Flynn. He was about to pull the trigger, but Khana rose the water from the grass beneath him and froze him in a small pillar of ice, leaving his head exposed.

"Flynn you need to go."

"But-"

"Go Flynn. NOW!" She pushed him away with her frail arms and what was left of her strength.

Flynn ran through the situations again. He had to go, there were too many of them. But he just couldn't leave her. Or could he? It would be easy, save himself and leave her to die. She was old anyway. What was he thinking, how could he? She helped him through all this and even now she still hasn't given up on him. Why did he have to be the one to make the decision? The men were starting to recover from the wave of water that knocked them over. So many questions. Only one solution.

Leave.

"I'm sorry Khana." He got up and started running away across the fields, afraid to look back at what was about to happen. The other Authority soldiers began firing at him but he was far too out of range for them to hit him.

* * *

Inside the farmhouse...

An Authority trooper walked up to the Colonel and saluted. "Sir we've searched the area and have found no sign of the child."

He frowned and pulled out his gun. The soldier went to run away but the Colonel shot him dead. "Insolent." He turned his attention towards Khana who was handcuffed and being held to the ground by another soldiers foot.

"Why didn't you just kill me Colonel?" Her voice was so weak it was almost a whisper.

He leaned over to come face to face with her. "Because I'm not through with you yet.


	3. Chapter 3-The Hunter and the Prey

_Their weapons were much more deadly and frightening up close and even today I still have not gotten over the immense crack they make before striking down their foe. Yet we still rushed forward, forgetting the people who just dropped dead as we drew closer and closer to the enemy. One of my best friends since the start of my remembrance was right next to me, and for all he did I am ashamed to say I can not remember his name._

_What I can remember was his valiant sacrifice as we tried to hole up in the middle of all that chaos. Screams of pain and death filled the air on both fronts of the battlefield, that did not help my men any more than their thick-headed commander._

_Although their weapons were far superior to ours, they could not break through our earth walls and they had to stay intent on shooting us if we tried to get out of cover. Even then, we were still hard targets to hit._

_That was until they brought their new weapons to the field. Heavily armoured troopers shrugged off our rocks and boulders whilst lighting small canisters of blasting jelly. We all knew what was coming next. Without giving us any time to prepare the canisters were launched in a flurry of tens. I remember the walls in front of us breaking with extreme force and then a cloud of dust covered us all as the blast launched us back._

_Regaining conciousness, I looked to my left with a blurred vision. My friend lay there with a piece of earth pierced into his chest and instead of the smile I expected to see on his face I saw a sad one, a wasted one. Everywhere I looked everyone shared the same face of anguish and as the dust finally subsided I found I was alone, surrounded by dead friends and lively enemies._

_They had me trapped..._

_From the Journal of Avatar Shibai, 270 ASC_

* * *

The blanket of night covered the long countryside road and was pierced only by the occasional flash of light that was brought with passing car headlights. It weighed heavy on the baron grass lands. The road was silent, which only added to the intensity of the darkness.

Flynn was staggering down the dirt path that skirted the road, cradling a flame in his right palm. He was exhausted from all the running he did earlier to get away from the Colonel and his energy seemed to have drained since the sun went down. He had been sustaining this flame for hours as he struggled to walk to the next town. Flynn had no map, no sense of where he was going, he just had to run and follow the roads in a hope he could find shelter somewhere else. The flame in his hand, whilst it did give Flynn the ability to see, cast an eerie glow around his face and made him an easy target for passers by.

Thoughts, as usual, sat heavily on his mind. These past two days had been a nightmare. First his best friend, then his family and then Khana. All murdered by the Authorities. It made him feel sick to the very core, and a look of absolute disgust was spread across Flynn's face as he remembered the last time he saw them. None of them peaceful, all of them had faces of despair and anguish, lifelessness was obvious on their discoloured faces. These pictures haunted him and almost seemed to appear in the darkness around him but there was one that brought light to the darkness. The photo from the living room. The one he carelessly smashed when he escaped from his house. The one that was incinerated in that smouldering wreck of a house.

The horrible images were lost however, when Flynn spotted the illuminated buildings of a nearby village. "At last" he whispered to himself. A wave of relief went through him before extinguishing his flame and jogging off down the hill to the village.

Underneath the town of Greenbrokeshire

A small metal chamber which lay underneath the town of Greenbrokeshire was illuminated by small lights hanging from the ceiling by electric wires. It smelled damp and boggy, a smell that clung to the noses of anyone who entered. It was in complete silence, except when a single drop of water gently tapped the metal floor. Men dressed in black trench coats and black masks were all lined in three rows, each 20 men strong. All stood perfectly straight with their hands behind their backs, ready for orders. In the middle of the room stood a podium on a raised platform.

The Colonel entered the room and everybody saluted simultaneously. The Colonel's heavy boots clanked on the metal floor, sending an echo through the small room. He reached the podium and turned to face the Authority agents. Still encased by darkness he said "At ease." Everyone withdrew from their salute and placed their right hand back behind their backs. The Colonel began pacing back and forth, still cloaked in the darkness. "Now men, we have a problem. It seems that a bender has slipped through your fingers. That is not a problem, it happens from time to time. But what is the problem is that it was a CHILD!" Everyone seemed to flinch when he suddenly raised his voice. He had them scared, that was good. "This is unacceptable. No no... It is disgraceful! He managed to evade your patrols, escape your traps, kill one of you, take down a squad and destroy a helicopter!"

He stopped pacing and began to slowly walk towards the light that shone on the podium. "Listen up, ladies and gentlemen! Our fugitive has been on the run for six hours. Average foot speed over uneven ground barring injuries is 4 miles per hour and that gives us a radius of... 24 miles. What I want out of each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every petrol station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area. Checkpoints go up at thirty miles. Your fugitive's name is Flynn Grant." The Colonel stepped into the light. His thick brown eyebrows were frowning. His brown eyes reflected the men in front of him. He held a fierce snarl across his face which made him look like a cold blooded killer. "I want him found. And killed."

The village of Tedmare

The village was small, but tightly packed. The gaps between the houses made small alleyways, creating an intricate circuit of passageways. Street lamps dotted around the main road, cutting straight through the village. Almost all the houses had white walls and slate roofs. It was an ideal and traditional English village.

Flynn walked the deserted streets of Tedmare looking for some sort of shelter to rest in. But one thing caught his eye, a local pub. He could hear the hearty laughs of the people inside. So he quickly paced towards the pub to have a look inside. There he saw one of the most delicious looking steaks, drenched in gravy and sided with mashed potato. Flynn's mouth started to water and his stomach let out an almighty roar. He looked down and held it. "Don't worry buddy, I'll get you some food." He said to his stomach.

Flynn went through the blue door of the pub and walked through the busy room and up to the bar, not catching the attention of anybody. "Hello there." He said to the barman who was cleaning a glass with a rag. He didn't even turn to face Flynn.

He was fat, old and was wearing a blue chequered shirt. The stereotypical barman. "What you want?" His voice sounded like it had been scratched by a cheese grater.

"Umm, I'll have the steak dinner." Flynn pointed to it on a menu that was placed on the bar.

He turned to face Flynn, expecting to see a man. Instead he saw a boy of 16 years standing there. "Sorry but I can't serve you."

"Come on, I just want a meal. I've been walking for hours since Greenbrokeshire. I'm not asking for a drink, I just want some food." Flynn pleaded to the man.

"Sorry kid but I don't care what you've been doing. I'm not serving you." That could have been the worst mistake that man had ever made. Why wouldn't he help Flynn? He needed it. He was just a kid. Flynn became annoyed, his blood boiled, his rage took hold. He reached up, grabbed the back of the barman's head and slammed his face on the bar before storming out into the street, leaving the man unconscious on the bar in the care of his patrons. No one dared pursue this boy. Whoever he was, he had issues.

Now was the worst time you could talk to Flynn, his rage was in control and he wouldn't hesitate to hurt you, or worse. He stormed down the cobblestone street with his fists clenched and his teeth gritted. The street lights cast their circle of light every ten feet, but Flynn avoided the light, skirting down back alleys and walking round the it as if it would burn him. Hunger was no longer a feeling, pain was no longer a feeling, it was all blocked by an immense surge of adrenaline and hatred.

It couldn't get any worse. But it did.

"Hello Flynn." The Colonel's cold voice caught the attention of Flynn so he turned to face him. Under a street light stood the Colonel. He wore a wolfish grin and his hands were behind his back.

"You..."

30 Minutes Before

A small black Jeep was speeding down the countryside road, slicing through the darkness with its headlights and creating a spray of water behind it. It shook violently from side to side, moving its passengers as well. "Where are we going sir?" a young agent asked.

"To the village of Tedmare, that's where he probably is." The Colonel spoke with confidence. He had done this before. He knew how a bender would think, where they would go, how they would act.

"How can you be sure sir?" The young private questioned.

"Because benders have lived so long in our perfect society they crave to stay in it. He is a child as well, he will not know how to survive life in the wilderness." The car suddenly shook everyone as it sped over a pothole in the road.

"We are almost at the village, sir." The driver stated. The conversations in the car were quick, precise and got to the point. Just like the Authorities.

Around 5 minutes had passed before they reached the village. Its white cottages all clumped together in such a small space. The Jeep pulled up just outside of the village and the squad of five men, led by the Colonel jumped out and loaded their weapons before concealing them inside their trench coats. They walked in a perfect line down the road that led right through the village, all of them with their hands behind their backs.

The Colonel stopped when he saw something peculiar on the floor. He put his hand up to stop the march of his agents and went for a closer inspection. It was just a regular £10 note but something was different about it. The top left corner was burnt ever so slightly. He crumpled up the note, threw it on the floor and a grin went across his face. "He's here."

Blue flashing lights came from round the corner, gaining the attention of one of the agents. "Sir, there is a disturbance up ahead."

"It could be him. Everyone with me." The Colonel waved his hand as he walked towards the corner, signalling for his agents to follow. As they turned the corner there was an ambulance parked outside a local pub and a man was being wheeled into the back of it, with his nose broken and his forehead bleeding. They approached the paramedic who was about to get in the back of the ambulance with the patient.

The Colonel put on a friendly tone."Excuse me, what happened to this man?"

"I'm sorry sir but I need to get him to the hospital."

The Colonel looked towards the bleeding man who was now under the effects of anaesthetic. "He'll live." He pulled back part of his coat to reveal one of his pistols. The paramedic instantly jumped back. "You on the other hand..."

"Okay, okay!" The paramedic straightened himself out and fidgeted with his uniform. "Apparently he was attacked by some kid he wouldn't serve. He grabbed his head and slammed it against the bar before leaving the pub."

The Colonel dropped the friendly voice and grabbed the paramedic by the collar of his jacket. "Do you know where he is?"

"I don't know anything else, nobody went after him! Please, I'm telling you everything I know!" The man was practically begging for him to let go, desperation heavy in his eyes. Luckily the Colonel was feeling pitiful today, so he let the man go back to his usual business.

As the ambulance drove away and left the crowd behind, the Colonel turned to face his men. "Find out what you can from these people, I'm going to check down these streets. Radio in if you have any new information."

"Yes sir" They all said in unison and they all went their different ways questioning various people from the crowd whilst the Colonel set off down the cobblestone path.

Around 5 minutes later the Colonel had returned to the main street after checking down an alleyway and stood there before him was a boy shifting in the shadows. He knew who it was. "Hello Flynn."

"You..." Flynn said through gritted teeth.

"Ah, so you do remember me, good. It is always nice to know the person who ended your life. I find it hurts less than a total stranger killing you." He threw his arms to the side and his trench coat fell to the ground, revealing two holsters with pistols in each and a whole belt full of clips.

Flynn's hands set alight and he widened his stance. "Lets get this over with."

He began sprinting towards the Colonel, who rapidly pulled out his pistols and started shooting at Flynn. Each shot created orange flashes that lit the darkness and made a crack that echoed down the lonely street. Flynn moved from left to right and rolled behind a wall of a nearby house. The Colonel ran out of bullets and went to reload, but that was his weakness. Flynn saw the opportunity and ran out of his cover, attempting to close the distance between him and the Colonel. He punched two rapid fire blasts at the Colonel, who easily dodged them and continued to reload. But it was too late, Flynn was close enough to begin his assault.

Flynn was swinging his fists in a blind fury, making them easy to dodge but the heat from them was making the Colonel slow down and sweat began to form on his brow. Flynn went for an over-ambitious right hook to the face and that left him open on his side. The Colonel swung a heavy blow to Flynn's stomach and forced him to lean forward in pain, he then grabbed Flynn's head with both his hands and slammed his knee into Flynn's face. This stumbled Flynn back. Flynn went for a wild kick that was quickly countered by the Colonel, who grabbed his shoe, lifted his leg up and kicked him in-between the legs.

Flynn fell to the ground, writhing in pain and cursing under his breath. The Colonel picked up one of his guns and loaded it. "Your nothing but a waste of time. And to think you have the name Grant." He pulled back the hammer on the pistol. "Pathetic."

"ARGH!" Flynn violently kicked a short burst of fire straight into the Colonels chest, which sent him flying into the air and landing about ten feet away with a sickening thud and smoke rising from his chest. Flynn was still lying on the ground when he heard the heavy footsteps of the other agents coming round the corner at the end of the street. Helpless and desperate, he decided to flee and stumbled into a run whilst holding his sides. He meandered through alleyways and, due to his lack of balance, smacked into walls as he turned corners. Flynn tripped over a bin that was stood beside a house and fell, face first into the ground.

He sat up and leaned against the wall of the house. The pain was unbearable. His head span. His eyes blurred. Twitches of pain were jolting all through his body and blood ran from his nose. But at least the rage was gone. That feral beast was vanquished when it realised it couldn't win, but yet he still felt it, looming in the back of his mind. It was just one of the many ghosts Flynn couldn't seem to get rid of.

_"I have to find shelter"_ he thought, but let out a small chuckle as he did._"How could the same stuff happen to the same guy twice."_ He doubted that anyone would be like Khana in this village, that bartender wasn't who you would call a good Samaritan, then again Flynn wasn't either. But Flynn was desperate and if no one would help him, he'd have to help himself. And just as if fate had made him walk to this specific alleyway he looked over to the main road and found a small shop. _"Well that's convenient"_.

He poked his head out of the alleyway and looked both ways down the main road. No one was in sight, just the darkness and the odd street lamp that vanquished it. He ran across the road, keeping his head low, just in case. Confident he was out of sight he skirted round the white walls of the shop and round the back. An iron door was there, just as expected, laced with locks on the other side. Flynn couldn't smash the window, no, that would make too much noise. He could get up to the roof easily, but it was all slate, so no way in there. And then there was the alarm box. There had to be and electric box somewhere feeding it power. Flynn scanned the back wall. There was the antenna, telephone wire and then some extra cables stuck to the wall. That had to be it.

He melted the wires with a small flame from his hand and faced the door. He took a deep breath in and kicked a powerful blast of fire at the door, knocking off its hinges and sending it flying back against the back wall. A couple of cinders were left on the floor when Flynn stepped through. He lit a small flame in his palm to illuminate his surroundings. The orange glow revealed a small counter and five shelves, all stacked with all sorts of different items. One caught his eye though, the food shelf. Oh it was glorious, like a bounty from heaven itself. His stomach rumbled like thunder and Flynn held it tight. He took as much as he could, stuffing it into every pocket and under his arms. Pasties, pies, anything with meat in it that he could eat quickly.

Just as he was about to leave he stopped and looked back at the ruined shelf and the remainder of the food scattered all across the floor._"This is wrong."_ He thought, so he went over to the counter and placed some of his money on it, to cover the cost of what he stole. He then left to find shelter.

10 minutes had passed and Flynn was still unsure of where to stay the night. He had been aimlessly wandering around in the darkness, its effects taking a toll on his mind. The darkness seemed to leak into Flynn and change his very being. He became paranoid, scared and the need for the flame was ever growing. He needed it, he craved it, but he was in control and kept it at bay.

It was then a thought popped into his head. He easily broke into the shop, it couldn't be any different breaking into a house. And he spotted a perfect victim. A small white walled house, much like the others in the village, but this one was in complete cover of darkness. No lights, nothing. Flynn made his way towards the house with slyness and spotted a window at the bottom of the house, which probably led to the cellar. He broke it with his elbow as quietly as possible, in case the owners were in. It wasn't strong glass thankfully, so it made very little sound, allowing Flynn to slip in almost undetected. He cut himself on parts of the glass, leaving minor scratches on his sides and blood on the glass.

If only he had something to cook some of this food with._"Oh yeah I do. Duh."_ he put his face in his palm and shook his head. _"Stupid!"_ He thought to himself. Flynn pulled out a small pie from his pocket and held it over his palm, as he created a small flame. After it was fully cooked he dined like it was the last meal he would eat. Oh it was delicious. The warm gravy on the inside softening the steak pieces and making the meal much more scrumptious.

After his feast, Flynn lay on the cold stone floor and fell asleep. Only to be haunted by his dreams again. _Why did my last name mean so much to the Colonel?_

Early in the morning

The Colonel's eyes shot open and he jolted up, only to hit his head on the roof of the Jeep and fall down onto his back again. His shirt bore a hole in the centre and his skin had a red scar. The result of Flynn's fire blast to the chest. He slid out of the Jeep and found his men huddling round a makeshift fire. They all instantly stood up and saluted him. The Colonel ignored them though, he looked around where he was.

The Jeep had been moved up here to obviously avoid attention and it sat in thick mud, grass covering the hills that surrounded him. He could see the village sitting in the middle of the moors, all calm and peaceful, completely unaware of the conflict last night. How ignorance was bliss.

"Why are you all just standing here?" The Colonel said in an annoyed tone.

"Sir, we were waiting for you to recover from your injuries." The lieutenant stepped forward to speak, making his authority known. That was a mistake.

The Colonel stepped towards him until he was practically in his face. "You should be out there finding that bender!" He shouted into the lieutenant's face, making him step back with shock. The Colonel walked over to the Jeep and picked up his trench coat which was lying in the back seat where he was lay. "I want this Jeep loaded up. We're going back to the village!"

A short 10 minute ride into the village over bumpy terrain made the Colonels injuries hurt even more, but that would not sway him from his mission. Nothing would. They pulled up in the same spot they did before and got out. "Alright men, spread out. Radio in anything you find."

"Are you sure that's a good idea sir? Remember what happened last time." The lieutenant protested.

"Are you trying to say my leadership is questionable?"

"Well no sir I'm ju-"

"Are you trying to say I'm not skilled enough to take on a child!?" The Colonel's face was red with anger.

"No sir." The lieutenant said in defeat.

"Good. Now get on with it." The men all split apart in different directions, but the Colonel stayed where he was. _"I will find you Flynn"_.

5 minutes of searching led to the discovery of a knocked over bin._"Interesting."_ He knelt down to examine it more closely. Blood was dried up on the lid. It had to be him. He followed the trail of blood droplets and saw where it was leading. The shop. It was obvious, he had no food.

The Colonel walked up to the shop and found no signs of forced entry, but the alarm box wasn't working. He went round the back of the shop and examined the scene. The door was knocked against the wall of the shop, but why didn't the alarm go off? He then saw the melted wires._"Very clever."_ The Colonel stepped slowly inside. The food was taken, but money was left on the counter. He examined the packets of food to see what they looked like. Blue and white, good, any litter like this could be a trail straight to him.

As he left the shop the Sun was starting to make its way up to the horizon and it made the clouds blue and orange, just like a water coloured painting. What little light shone managed to reflect off something on the ground. It glinted and caught the eye of the Colonel, it was right near a house that was positioned further out of the village than the others. _"A perfect place to hide."_ He smirked slightly.

He had him.

He ran over to the house, which wasn't too far away and picked up a broken shard of glass. He saw the broken window from where it came, and the blood that was on it also. The Colonel crawled through the small window, breaking another piece off. It awoke Flynn, who instantly got up and kicked a flame at the Colonel. He took cover behind an old washing machine to avoid being hit. Flynn punched two more fire blasts at the washing machine to suppress the Colonel, giving him the opportunity to run up the wooden stairs and burst through the door at the top. The Colonel took off from his cover in pursuit.

Flynn barely made it outside the house before the Colonel managed to catch up to him. Flynn ran desperately to get away, but the Colonel grabbed his legs and tackled him to the ground. He got on top of Flynn and started to strike at his face but he was blocked by Flynn's arms, which were held up. The Colonel however, pinned Flynn's arms to the ground.

"Why do you fight!? You have lost!" the Colonel shouted in Flynn's face, little bits of spit flying out as well.

Just then, the sun had reached the top of the hill and the edge of it was poking above the horizon. Flynn felt its power and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. "Not yet Colonel." Flynn smirked and his wrists began to heat up, singeing the Colonels hands. He yelped and released his grip on Flynn's arms. Using the advantage, Flynn pushed the Colonel off him and rolled backwards.

The Colonel's eyes widened. Flynn punched two fire blasts at him and followed through with a roundhouse kick, sending a horizontal arc of fire towards the Colonel. He dodged the two fire blasts but was knocked back from the fire arc. Following through, Flynn launched another fire blast, knocking the Colonel back further. Flynn wasn't even sweating, the Colonel however was faltering. He was breathing heavily and his legs were shaking.

"Maybe another time Colonel." Flynn span around and side kicked a fire blast at the Colonel. That finished him off and he was knocked unconscious, left to lie in the grass. Flynn took his chances and ran off towards the hills. Where he was going he didn't know, he was just trying to escape another nightmare.

On the outskirts of Tedmare

The Colonel woke up in a blur again. Everything was hazy and his eyes stung. "Sir?" A young agent shook his shoulder. "Sir, are you okay?"

The Colonel grabbed the young agent and shoved him out of the Jeep, before sliding out to see his men, once again, huddling round a makeshift camp.

The lieutenant got up and walked towards the Colonel with a look of smugness on his face. "Looks like your plan didn't work Colonel." He said in a cocky tone. "The child knocked you out and got away. Again." The Colonel ignored the lieutenant and walked over to where his equipment lay on the bonnet of the Jeep. "How could you lead us when you can't even defeat a child?" The Colonel nonchalantly pulled out one of his pistols from its holster and aimed it at the lieutenant.

He raised his arms up in surrender. "Because, lieutenant." The Colonel armed the pistol.

_BANG._

"I don't tolerate insolence." Faces of shock spread across all the other agents as they stared at the man lying on the floor with a bullet hole in his chest. They all looked up to the Colonel, expecting the worse. He dropped the pistol down to his side, smoke coming out of the barrel. "Does anyone else have a problem?" The agents all shook their heads. "Good. Load up, we're heading back to base. No doubt the council would like a word."

The council. The ones who kept him on a tight leash. They would no doubt scold him for his failure, but the Colonel had a way with words and he could easily sway them so he could stay on the case.

He wasn't finished with Flynn yet.


End file.
